Tribes Merge On New 'Survivor'

After Kenny, Crystal, and Susie teamed up to blindside Marcus at the last immunity challenge, a clear power shift took place on Survivor: Gabon. The original Kota members, who had been in control of the game to this point, lost their biggest asset. As a result they found themselves in an uncertain situation.

The Fang tribe won reward in a golf target competition. They got to go to a feast held by an indigenous people and learn a lot about the culture of Gabon. The food and dancing was especially rewarding for Matty, who had suffered through so many losses on the original Fang tribe.

When it came time for immunity, Jeff Probst surprised the castaways by announcing that it would be an individual challenge. Afterwards the remaining nine players would merge into a new tribe. Susie won immunity by building fire the fastest. The survivors all returned to the Fang camp, and renamed themselves the Nobag tribe.

With tribal council looming, it was clear that there were two competing alliances. The original Kota members of Charlie, Randy, Corrine, and Bob wanted to vote out Crystal. Randy had been at odds with Crystal from the beginning, and claimed that she was a toxic attitude around camp. The Fang tribe members of Kenny, Crystal, Matty, and Susie targeted Charlie. They felt that Charlie was the brains behind the Kota team, and that if they could take him out it would be a huge blow. Caught in the middle was Sugar, who had been a member of both tribes and had ties to both sides. Sugar wanted to vote out Randy, but Kenny made it clear that they were not going in that direction. Charlie tried to convince Sugar to vote for Crystal, but she did not see her as a huge threat. In the end, Sugar decided to vote with the old Fang members. Charlie became the tenth person voted out and the second to join the jury that will eventually choose the Ultimate Survivor.

Losing Charlie was a big setback for the original Kota alliance, but it is not over for them yet. Sugar still feels like a loose canon, and she very well may be swayed to vote with them at the next tribal council. Also, all they would have to do is flip one of the Fang people over to their side and they would gain back the numbers game. However, if Sugar continues to vote with the Fang alliance and they remain intact, expect Randy, Corrine, and Bob to picked off one by one (probably in that order).

Survivor: Gabon is the 17th installment of the long-running reality competition show and can be seen Thursdays on CBS. It's getting down towards the end, and I'll be here every Friday to analyze every twist and turn. Check here at starpulse.com for news on all your favorite TV shows.